Ask the Experts

[JohnAndSancho]

First off, question about this one who really needs a name. Backstory, this is the Butia x Lyto I left outside in a pot in January and it saw 9°. Is it.. is it me or is it pushing like a whole new crown? It looks like multiple fronds to me, but I'm not an expert, I'm mostly here for comic relief. Maybe me and this palm are buddies because we're both hairy.

CIDP - Is this a pinnate frond coming out? Does the growth rate on these explode once they go pinnate like my Queen did? Sure would be nice. 

 

This area, I can never remember what the trees are called but they're Asian in origin and bloom white flowers that go everywhere. Anyway, this is where I'm planting my Trachys and after I get the rest of the branches and burn them, I want to start my compost pile down here. It's a nice cleared area until you get about 4" deep and then it's root chaos. Anyway, I'm thinking maybe a nice cold hardy clumping bamboo to hide it and border it? I can't remember the name of the specific one I looked at, it starts with an F and it's not Fugazi or Ferigno. 

 

Since I mentioned Trachys, might as well take a picture of the Nubbins while I'm out here watering everything. Awww you're gonna be such big palms yes you are... But for now you have to be cat proofed. I dunno what's up with the turtle. Looks like it used to be a solar powered garden light from back when technology sucked. 

 

 

[JohnAndSancho]

Oh. One more question to add. I need to find something big enough to sow Butia seeds in. And y'all know by now I find random stuff laying around and try to use that because I'm... Well I've never been in Forbes. Anyway, I found an old refrigerator drawer that's about 4" deep. If I just fill it with coir and perlite and just heavily mist instead of watering, can I get away without drilling holes in it? I'm afraid the drill will shatter it. I can cover it with a pane of glass, it won't be airtight but would it work in theory? I found some big heat mats on a deep discount on Amazon... Like the 40x20s for around $15. So my plan is to just do that and wait. I've also filed a handful of the seeds in hopes that speeds things up by a few months. 

[RJ]

I’m certainly not an expert but that doesn’t look like bxlyto to my untrained eyes. Maybe a better shot of the entire ✋ would be helpful. Mules are highly variable so I could be 100% wrong , just saying. 

 

Not sure on the variety of the tracycarpus trunk on the left 🤷‍♂️ 

[JohnAndSancho]

17 minutes ago, RJ said:

I’m certainly not an expert but that doesn’t look like bxlyto to my untrained eyes. Maybe a better shot of the entire ✋ would be helpful. Mules are highly variable so I could be 100% wrong , just saying. 

 

Not sure on the variety of the tracycarpus trunk on the left 🤷‍♂️ 

I bought it from Patrick Schafer, it's legit. It just looks funny because of all the cold damage. Lol the one to the left is a Trachycarpus Johninaria, they only grow in Mississippi. 

[MrTropical]

1 hour ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Oh. One more question to add. I need to find something big enough to sow Butia seeds in. And y'all know by now I find random stuff laying around and try to use that because I'm... Well I've never been in Forbes. Anyway, I found an old refrigerator drawer that's about 4" deep. If I just fill it with coir and perlite and just heavily mist instead of watering, can I get away without drilling holes in it? I'm afraid the drill will shatter it. I can cover it with a pane of glass, it won't be airtight but would it work in theory? I found some big heat mats on a deep discount on Amazon... Like the 40x20s for around $15. So my plan is to just do that and wait. I've also filed a handful of the seeds in hopes that speeds things up by a few months. 

If the drawer stays indoors it should be OK. Just keep an eye on the moisture levels.

Not a bad price for a heat mat of that size. Butia seeds are painfully slow in my experience, so I just toss them in a 25 gallon planter with my bald cypress every September and forget. Then by the following September I'll usually have around a dozen seedlings. These seeds can take multiple years to germinate, I have seedlings from 2-year-old seed still popping up in an old community pot. 

[JohnAndSancho]

https://a.co/d/5ECIn3b

 

The 48x20 with controller option. 

 

Anyway yeah, I know they're slower than snail poop, so I'm hoping the scarification helps. I've also got a bunch of Brahea and Thrinax so I've got all the 15 year bases covered. Maybe some of these will at least go pinnate in my lifetime. 

[JohnAndSancho]

Bump? I think the Butia expert is @Scott W and I don't know who our Phoenix expert is. Anyway just lie to me and tell me I'll have a foot of trunk by June if I plant in April. We always get that one last cold snap around Easter here and after that it's nothing but sweat until Thanksgiving. 

[JohnAndSancho]

Well, I hope it's pushing a whole new crown because all the old fronds are slowly yellowing and browning. 

[Hu Palmeras]

1 hour ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Bueno, espero que esté desarrollando una corona completamente nueva porque todas las hojas viejas se están amarilleando y poniendo marrones lentamente. 

It looks like a date palm, my friend

[JohnAndSancho]

14 minutes ago, Hu Palmeras said:

It looks like a date palm, my friend

It's not, I promise. It took severe cold damage in January, 9°f unprotected in a pot. That's why it looks funky. 

 

This is the only date palm I own 

[Hu Palmeras]

It's beautiful, my dear friend. I also have date palms. I hope to always see them beautiful. They need more sun and protection in the winter. I suggest you buy a four-wheeled cart and transport them to give them a better harvest. That's how I have them.

[JohnAndSancho]

28 minutes ago, Hu Palmeras said:

It looks like a date palm, my friend

This is how it looked a few years ago before the cats and the cold got it (third picture down)

 

[Hu Palmeras]

1 minute ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Así se veía hace unos años antes de que los gatos y el frío lo arrasaran (tercera foto hacia abajo)

 

You must put it in full sun. Lots of sun will make it grow beautifully.

[JohnAndSancho]

15 minutes ago, Hu Palmeras said:

You must put it in full sun. Lots of sun will make it grow beautifully.

It's in full sun now and has been most of the year. That's a night time picture from 3 years ago 👍 

[Hu Palmeras]

Hace 30 minutos, JohnAndSancho dijo:

Así se vio hace unos años antes de que los gatos y el frío lo arrasaran (tercera foto hacia abajo)

 

Debes ponerla a pleno sol. Con mucho sol crecerá hermosamente.

 

I do remember that the first date palm seeds I germinated were purchased on eBay from someone selling them in the Coachela Valley. They were of the Medjool variety. I germinated about 300 seeds. It's crazy.